Tataki Zomé: "Hammer Dye"
Plant Portraits with a Hammer, a How-to guide.
What is Tataki Zomé ?
Tataki Zome is a Japanese phrase for the method of creating prints by hammering botanicals onto paper or cloth. This easy and fun botanical printing process happens when the dyes from petals and other parts of flowers leak from the botanicals after you hammer them, staining your paper or cloth leaving behind a realistic plant portrait.
This printing process is a natural way to add unique color and pattern to paper without requiring any harsh chemicals, special tools or skills.
How does it work?
1. Prepare Your Plant Material
2. Plan Your Design
3. Hammer Away
4. Heat Set Your Prints
Tips for successful printing:
Use plant matter within 30 minutes of picking (if possible)
Since this technique uses natural materials, it’s best to embrace the perfectly imperfect nature of this art form and allow the natural flow of pigment to guide your practice
In general, the younger spring and summer plants work best. Use leaves with interesting shapes and flowers with petals in hues of yellow, red, purple, pink and blue because these tend to give the most crisp imprints and vibrant colors. You can also use store bought flower bouquets at any time of the year.
TIP: Avoid any plants that are poisonous or harmful such as poison ivy, poison oak, stinging nettles, etc.
SPECIAL NOTE: Please be respectful of where you gather your botanicals for printing. Be sure to ask permission if not gathering from your own property. Practice ethical harvesting by leaving some plants behind so they can continue to thrive in their natural environment.
How can I identify the plants I want to use?
· https://www.inaturalist.org/
I hope you’ve been inspired to try out this botanical printing technique! Let me know how it goes for you and please share any photos from your experiments.
Live in the Seattle area?
Come learn with me in-person at my next botanical workshops!
Tataki Zome: Plant Portraits with a Hammer on July 28th 11 AM - 1 PM
Tataki Zome: Plant Portraits with a Hammer on August 3 at 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM
If you can’t make it to the in-person workshops, you can order the magazine to find an in-depth How-To article on this technique that I’ve just published in Strawberry Moon Magazine.
Finally, stay tuned for a step-by-step video on my website that will be available this fall.
Until then, happy flower pounding!
-Paige